Building material



Jul 15, 1941. R T; JOHNSTON 2,249,000

BUILDING MATERIAL Original Filed Aug. 20. 1931 Patented July 15, 1941BUILDING MATERIAL Robert T. Johnston, deceased, late of Plainfield, N.1., by Clara E. Johnston, administratrix, Newark, N. 1., assignor, bymesne assignments, to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Original applicatiomAugust 20, 1931,Serial No.

Divided and this application September 25, 1936, Serial No. 102,543

2 Claims.

This invention relates to materials intended for exposure to weather andfor that, purpose provided with protective coatings. The base materialmay be wood, cement, felt obtained from animal or vegetable fibers,paper, etc. or various compositions including them. More particularlythe invention relates to coated base materials intended for roofing andthe description which follows is therefore specifically addressed tothis embodiment of the invention. The present application is a divisionof applicant's prior application Serial No, 558,247, now Patent No.2,060,083 granted November 10, 1936.

Roofing base materials comprise in general shingles or other shapes ofwood or felt and sometimes cement compositions. Wood shingles whencoated are customarily dipped in an oil stain; however, the stainleaches out after a brief time dueto the action of rain and sun and thecoating must therefore be frequently renewed. ,Felt base materials inthe form of shingles or continuous strips have coatings of asphalt; butas asphalt-coated felt materials do not satisfactorily withstandchanging weather conditions, it has been proposed to increase theirdurability by the application of crushed slate or the like. But thisagainpresents many serious faults, For one thing the absorption of heatby asphalt-coated materials when exposed to the summer sun causes theasphalt to soften and flow to a very marked degree, and this conditionisgreatly accentuated by the weight of the superposed crushed slate;furthermore the heat in time dries the asphalt so that its grip on theslate particles is lost and they are readily separated from the basematerial. 0n the other hand in winter weather the asphalt shinglebecomes porous and brittle, so that moisture penetrates and is absorbedto rot the felt base and result in rapiddeterioration, and the asphaltloses its cementing and gripping qualities. After a shingle has ab-,sorbed moisture in winter, the next high temperature resoftens theasphalt and seals the moisture within the shingle; then during the heatof summer the moisture expands to form blisters on the surface of theshingle as well as causing unequal contraction and expansion of theshingle which results in curling. On account of this loss anddeterioration, the shingles become limp and flabby so that the wind canlift Particularly with reference to felt base materials it is found thatthe presentinvention not only counteracts to a large extent thedestructive effects .of sun and rain, but imparts a strength and astifiness to the material, that permits a thinner felt base and/or agreater proportionate exposure of the surface. These and other objectsof the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.

The invention in one aspect comprises the application to abase materialof a coating of granular material, which may be sand, crushed quartz;crushed slate or other suitable materials, secured to the base materialby a cementing layer orbond which is waterproof and also non-softeningunder the action of a hot sun. The cementing layer may be any suitableoil composition containing extending material such as pigments ornatural resin as copal, dammar, rosin, etc. which with tung oil, forexample, can be made to yield compositions of greater durability andresistance than pigment-extended oils like linseed oil. Synthetic resinof the coumarone and ester gum types are also more or less suitable; butthe syn-' thetic resins of the polyhydric alcohol type and moreparticularly those of the so-called oil-solu- I ble phenolic type arefound to be greatly superior in durability and resistance to weather aswell as showing very marked adhesive properties for superposed grainsunder all conditions of temperature and weather.

Oil-soluble phenolic resins, particularly some forms thereof, arelikewise characterized by yielding films having a. flexibility,toughness and adhesiveness which render them suitable'as bonding agentsper se for the objects herein indicated without the use of oils. pect ofthe invention comprises synthetic resins so characterized as bondingagents for securing granular coatings to base materials for use asroofing and the like.

Furthermore resins of this character. or compositions containing them,show a remarkable resistance to weather changes and freedom fromdestructive oxidation and therefore they in them- Therefore anotherasselves or oil compositions containing themcan be used as coatingswithout any protective layer of granular material showing markedimprovement over coating compositions heretofore applied. The resinsthemselves in addition to being relatively non-oxidizing andnon-softening under the heat of the sun form a flexible tough film thatis continuous and non-penetrative by moisture; in addition they do notsupport combustion and are poor conductors of heat. In association withoils it is found that but small percentages of such phenolic resinsprofoundly modify the oil characteristics so that resistance toprogressive oxidation, acids and alkalies is increased out of allproportion to the resin content, thereby rendering oil compositions ofmuch improved utility as protective media for exposed base materials.

Phenolic resins of the oil-soluble type herein referred to, that is,resins which are suspensible r miscible with oils are in generalobtained by reacting a phenolic body. which may be a phenol, eresol orhigher substituted phenol or derivative. with a inethylcne-containingagent, such as formaldehyde or its polymers or compounds, furfural.benzaldchyde, etc. and a suitable catalyst. Lower phenol and similarresins which in themselves are not miscible with oils can be made so byblending them with sufficient proportions of rosin, ester gum or othernatural resins; such additions, however, injuriously affect thedesirable properties of the phenolic resins in proportion to the amountincluded and for that reason are not desirable. Oil-soluble or suspensible resins can, however, be obtained from lower phenolswithout thenecessity of including rosin or the like by adding an oil such as tungoilas an ingredient of the resin and preferably by reactin the oil firstwith the phenol and then with a methylene-containing agent. The higherphenlols, such as alkyl or phenyl substituted phenols, form resins whichin themselves are miscible or suspensible and which therefore exhibit ina striking manner the properties heretofore mentioned. Accordingly thelast type mentioned constitutes the preferred form of phenolic resins,particularly when associated with oils.

The oils found most suitable for the purposes of this invention are thedrying oils, particular- 1y tung. linseed, rapeseed, etc. Non-dryingoils, however, like castor oil, can be included; or oils including fattyacids as oleic, stearic, palmitlc, or the fatt acids themselves can besubstituted. These oil when mixed with resins as described form mixtureswhich are soluble in the .usual volatile solvents such as alcohol.mineral spirits,

turpentine, etc. If desired the resins may be modified by the additionof high boiling solvents such as dibutyl phthalate, tricresylphosphate.-

aniline, etc. Any desired color can be given the coatings or bindinglayers by suitable pigments which when added to resins as here describedare found to substantially retain their original color quality due tothe protecting influence of the resins.

The invention is found to be particularly useful in connection with themanufacture of roofings from felt base materials and specifically feltbase materials impregnated with asphalt or other suitable bituminousmaterial and havin applied thereto a layer of crushed slate or similarmaterial of impervious nature. When such a treated base material isprovided with a coating of the nature above described and particularly acoating including a synthetic phenolic resin in admixture with oils ortheir equivalents, it is found that the tendency for the asphalt to flowunder the action of a hot sun is minimized and furthermore any shrinkageor contraction caused by cold weather is not sufficient to permitentrance of moisture and resulting deterioration. Furthermore withan-intermediate layer of crushed slate or the like, any tendency of theasphalt to blood into the applied coating is overcome.

As a. granular surfacing material the preferrcd form is fine, lightcolored silica sand. This crystalline mineral substance reflects a greatdeal of the light but, at the same time. is translucent and somewhattransparent so that the color of the underlying bonding layer isrevealed to enhance the beauty and appearance of the roofing. Moreoverit filters out actinic rays which are a cause of deterioration ofroofing materials. Some of the sand grains may be entirely embedded inand coated by pressing them into the bonding layer during manufacture ofthe shingle, but preferably the surfacing layer of sand grains is onlypartially embedded therein. The projecting points of sand grains afforda protection from the abrading action of driving storms or sliding snowand ice to which all roofs are sub- Ject to thereby retain the gloss andfreshness of the bonding layer which would otherwise become dulled. Inthe preferred type of roofing, enough sand 'is therefore used to form asubstantially continuous layer for its outer surface. The surface whichis exposed to the weather thereby becomes a silica surface which is oneof the most weather resistant surfaces known. The appearance of theroofing then is due to the color of the pigment or dye in the bondinglayer, and the gloss of the bonding layer combined with the transparencyand reflectivity of the sand.

With a sand coating and intermediate bond applied to slate-asphalt-feltbase the small sand granules get down in between the larger slateparticles. This has a decidedly stiffening effect on the roofing inaddition to the stiffening effect of the bonding agent. A felt baseshingle tends to curl up under the force of the wind or the like tocompress the upper surface; but with the spaces between the slate piecesfilled with small sand granules there is less opportunity for the piecesof slate to approach each other and the shingle is thereby stiffened.The stiffening effect is further increased by the bonding agentparticularly when of the resinous type heretofore described.

These, and other objects and features of the invention will more fullyappear from the following descrlption and the accompanying drawingwhich, however, must be considered as merely illustrating and in no waylimiting the invention, to the embodiment shown and described.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention. a felt base shingle isshown on the accompanying drawing, it being understood that theinvention may be applied to shingles of other materials and to otherforms of roofing materials such as roll or strip roofing. In thedrawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of a finished shingle;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed section through the coating and a part ofthe body of the shingle shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the under-side of the shingle of Fig. 1,illustrating the way in which a reinforcing strip can be made part ofthe edge of the shingle;

Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the shingle before aforward edge of a flap made part of the shingle'blank has been folded.to form the reinforcing strip; and

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fi 3. The body 2 of the shingleillustrated is of felt whichmay be in the form of layers 4. Follow--,ing the usual procedure the .surface portion of the body 2, can beimpregnated with a thinly fluid or low melting point asphalt 6, and alayer 8, of heavier or higher melting point asphalt is applied on thesurface of the body. Where the shingle body is not specially impregnatedwith .an asphalt-6, impregnationoccurs when the asphalt layer 8 isapplied on the surface of the shingle. Rather large pieces ill, ofslate, for instance, pieces about 1*; of an inch or somewhat larger inbreadth are thereupon applied as usual to the asphalt layer 8. Up tothis point the practice customarily followed in the manufacture of feltbase rooiings is applied. a

A bonding layer I! of the nature hereindescribed-is applied over theslate pieces l0 and exposed portions of the asphalt layer 8. For examplethe bonding agent can be a synthetic resin.obtained by reacting aphenyl-substituted phenol with an aldehyde and thereafter digested withtungoil, or tung oil and linseed oil. The bonding agent is preferablydissolved in a suitable volatile solvent such as mineral spirits or.others as previously mentioned, so that the bonding agent not onlycoats-the base of slate but works down into the crevices and contacts 2.

with the asphalt layer 8. The solvent also softens somewhat theexposedportions of the asphalt-so that the resin forms a substantial union withthe asphaltbut on account oftherestricted areas of contact caused by theinterposed slate particles neither the asphalt nor the resin bleedmaterially into each other. The resulting shingle is one which has asurface completely covered with a continuous impervious non-softeningfilm, modified by color pigments or the'like.

In the manufacture of the shingle the asphalt layer 8 is applied to thebodywhile the asphalt, and sometimes the body, are warm enough so thatthe asphalt will'run, whereupon the pieces of slate are spread over theasphalt, and the shingle is passed in contact with rollers,- which causethe slate pieces to embed themselves inthe -asphalt layer 8. Althoughthe bonding or film-forming agent may .be applied to a cold shingle, itis deemed preferable that the shingle I be somewhat warm; The hot andsomewhat soft:

' exposed area. This leaves the majority of the but only partiallyembedded. With granules projecting above the bonding agent surface thereis no tendency for shingles to stick together, even though one isstacked on top of another unexposed area in.a pliablecondition to molditself to -the roof deck and seal-the roof from driving rain. However,the entire shingle sur face may be coated if desired.

If desired, the shingle may be used with the film as the exposed surfacebut preferably relatively small particles or granules ll, of silicasand, quartz sand, or other mineral substance, or ground'glass areembedded in the resin. These are applied before all of the solvent hasleft the agent eitherby driving them into the resin,

of slate and even partially into the asphalt in v the crevices betweenthe pieces of slate. The granuleswithin the agent are thereforecompletelycoyered by it and firmly bonded together thereby when ithardens. The resulting article is a base carrying an asphalti'c coveringwith large and small granules all bonded and ce-. mented together into asolid mass by the bonding material with sand granules forming anoutermost layer, preferably not entirely coated as they come from themachine before the agent is, dry. This is highly desirable from amanufacturing point of view as it removes the necessity of waiting forthe bonding agent to dry before the shingles are stacked or bundled."Different color effects maybe obtained, if de sired, by forming rows orother designs of translucent, transparent or colored sand particles.

' Sand grains previously dyed, coated or otherwise colored may be used.Thecolored coated sandgrains mayeasily be produced by thoroughly mixing.the sand with colored weather resistant agents ofthe types previouslydescribed herein. Enough sand can be so mixed to form a plastic masswhich is then rolled relatively thin-and permitted to harden, afterwhich 'it' is crushed and screened to obtain the colored granules of- Jthe desired size.

by the sand particles lying between the larger pieces of slate is thusobtained, further increase are held together with a material .which is'unv affected by the weather and will not gradually yield or rub oil aswill soft asphalt, nor will it strip in cold weather as will'hardasphalt.

The coated area may be only the edges" and in the stiffness of theshingle, particularly'at the exposed butt edge, is secured by fasteninga re- I inforcing strip It, to the edge. The reinforcing stripfurthermore gives the appearance of a much thicker shingle. Forconvenience in manufacture, and tomost effectively seal the'butt edge H,the reinforcing strip It, may be a part of the shingle body which isfolded under so as to lie flat preferably cut into or otherwise formedin, the body of the shingle" across the line 20, on. which the strip I8,is folded. The elongated scores the surface-which is exposed when theshingle preferably do not extend entirely through the shingle body, inorder not to destroy the surface of the felt, and. lie at a slant totheline of fold 2|.

The angular position of the scores ll, renders the shingle body somewhatyieldabie on the line of fold but yet the scores do not weaken the bodytoo much as they would if parallel to the line of fold. Scores which lieat a right angle to the line of fold are not desirable because they donot overcome the tendency of the outer surface to break when the fold ismade and to spring back into the flat position. The slanting scorescombine the advantages of'both of the other types of scores and lessenthe tension of the folded fibers so that there is less tension on thebonding material which bonds the reinforcing strip to the shingle. Itwill readily be understood that the reinforcing strip it, need not be afolded part of the shingle body but may be a separate piece of material.However, it is preferably bonded to the shingle in the manner justdescribed.

A bonding medium preferably of the synthetic resin type is used tofasten the reinforcing strip It, in position against the under surfaceof the shingle. The binder is applied to the two adja cent surfaces in athinly fluid condition so that it runs into the openings of the scoresl8 and spreads out into the body of both the shingle and reinforcingstrip, as is shown in Fig. 5. The binder thoroughly impregnates andholds fast to the fibers of the body and enters into the intersticesthereof, or bonds with the asphalt wherever the felt is impregnated withasphalt, and thereafter hardens, forming what may conveniently belikened to mushroom heads or anchors 22, within the bodies of both theshingle and the reinforcing strip. The heads 22, are joined by solidmasses or rods 24, of binder thus firmly bonding the reinforcing stripto the shingle. In addition there is the usual junction formed by thelayer 28, of binder between the contacting surfaces. The bonds 24, occurat the points where the scores l8, cross each other, as is shown in Fig.3.

- Although'the previous description has dealt specifically with theapplication of a coating to an asphalt and felt shingle, it is obviousthat the invention may beapplied to other articles and materials, forinstance strip materials, as well as wood and cement shingles or tilesor siding and the like which are comprised in the term "roofing." Aresin-containing coating as described either colored or not and with orwithout a sand facing, greatly improves the appearance and/or life ofwood and cement roofings, as it more or less enters the pores of thewood or cement and forms an extremely tight bond as well as a continuousdurable film to seal them from entry of moisture. etc. When woodshingles are exposed to rain, the moisture enters the shingle causing itto split. check and curl and eventually to decay, while in the case ofcement-asbestos shingles the absorption of moisture weakens thecementasbestos structure. Moreover the usual colored shingles of eitherwood or cement are very costly and the colors do not last. 7 In the caseof colored cement shingles the expensive pigments are mixed with theplastic cement magma and are distributed throughout it, but the colorsfade from the outer surface and the shingles have a poor appearancealthough the colors may be brilliant just under the surface. With acolored resinous coating, however, the colors are on only the exposedsurface where they are needed and they will hold their brilliancybecause they are protected both by the binder from the weather and theactive rays of the sun as well as by sand when so surfaced. It istherefore recognized that these and various other modifications andapplications may be made and it is to be understood that the inventionis to be construed as broadly as the claims. taken in conjunction withthe prior art, may allow.

What is claimed is:

1. Roofing comprising a body formed with a fold and having a pluralityof scores on the adjacent portions of the fold and crossing the line offold, said scores being disposed obliquely to the line of fold with thescores on the adjacent contacting surfaces criss-crossing.

2. Roofing comprising a base having an inturncd edge to form areinforcing strip and scores cut across the line of fold on thecontacting surfaces, said scores being disposed obliquely to the line offold with the scores on adjacent contacting surfaces criss-crossing, anda bonding medium extending into the scores for securing the strip to thebase.

CLARA E. JOHNSTON. Administmfrix of the Estate of Robert T. Johnston,Deceased.

